Elkalyce argiades
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The short-tailed blue or tailed Cupid (Cupido argiades) is a butterfly that forms part of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Europe to Japan and in India. The male has a violet upperside, a violet forewing with brown edging, and a violet hindwing with a brown edging of varying length. The wings have black spots, some of which have slight white edging. The tail is black with a white tip. The underside of the wings are white or brownish grey, the markings prominent or very faint. The antennae are black with white speckling on the shafts. The body is brown with a purple flush on fresh specimens.
The female has a dark grey-blue upperside, with black parts and broader edging. The undersides of the wings are like those of the male but with more stark markings. The body is like that of the male but without the purple flush.
Specimens from very dry localities in Upper Burma and from Great Nicobar Island are remarkably small and pale, with the markings on the underside, especially the subtornal ochraceous yellow patch, more or less obsolescent.
Southern short-tailed blue (Cupido alcetas ), southern Europe Eastern short-tailed blue ( Cupido decolorata... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-Tailed Blue sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 103 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 401 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, June and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Short-Tailed Blue in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-Tailed Blue sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 29
Of the 29 cities where we can rate Short-Tailed Blue sightings, Beijing ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 30%), Wuhan (China, about 20%) and Daegu (South Korea, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Short-Tailed Blue that you can see in Beijing (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Tongeia filicaudis (about 10%), Common Flash (about 10%) and Holly Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Short-Tailed Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Beijing (103 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
